Parliament Votes In Favour Of Donald Tusk Becoming Poland's PM

Warsaw [Poland]: Members of the Polish Parliament backed Donald Tusk to become Poland’s prime minister after current leader Mateusz Morawiecki lost a confidence vote in the country’s parliament on Monday, Politico reported.

The vote was 248 in favour and 201 against, clearing the way for his return nearly two months after a coalition of opposition parties led by the former European Council President secured victory in the national election held on October 15, according to the report.

In his address to cheering MPs, Tusk said, ‘I want to thank the Polish people,’ according to Politico report. He said, ‘Thank you Poland, this is a great day, not for me, but for all those who for these long years deeply believed that it will still be better, that we will chase away the darkness, chase away the evil.’

Tusk is set to present his Cabinet to parliament and lay out his governing program on Tuesday morning. Following this, members of the Polish Parliament will hold a vote of confidence. Poland President Andrzej Duda’s office said he would be prepared to swear in the new government as of Wednesday morning.

Earlier on Monday, Poland’s outgoing Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki lost a vote of confidence 266-190 in the lower house of parliament, putting an end to the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party’s eight-year stint in power and paving the way for Tusk to forge a centrist, pro-EU government from his Civic Coalition party, the liberal Poland 2050 party, the conservative agrarian Polish People’s Party and the Left, Politico reported.

The party, known by the acronym PiS, fell short of a parliamentary majority in general elections held in October, CNN reported. The party had for two months tried to find a coalition that could keep it in power. However, they could not make it.

Since assuming power in 2015, PiS was responsible for bringing about an illiberal change in Poland, taking greater control of the country’s public media, judiciary, cultural institutions and firms and cracking down on the rights of migrants, women and LGBTQ+ people, CNN reported.

The party, however, was not able to secure a third term in October’s elections in a vote that was dominated by the war in Ukraine, the cost of living and Poland’s place in Europe, CNN reported.

PiS did win more seats than any other single party and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda gave the party every chance to form a government, despite all other groups saying they would not agree to form a coalition with them, according to CNN report.

Donald Tusk has previously served two terms as Poland’s PM from 2007 and then he took over as EU Council President for five years. He will look to wind back the consequences of PiS’ transformation of Poland.

He will need to contend with Poland’s President and a court system that back the former ruling party and must gain support of diverse coalition ranging from left-wing to center-right lawmakers.